Len Downie means business this time: Washington Post writers will write shorter stories or the word-count deputies will get them.  

Washington Post executive editor Downie issued an edict in the form of a memo today outlining his “newsroom strategy” on story length. It reads  “An editor on each desk will be deputized to ensure that we stay true to the principles we’re enunciating here: compliance with guidelines, accurate budgeting, coordination with page designers and layout.”

Questions: Will the editors wear badges? Epaulettes? Special caps?

Downie indicated six types of stories and their appropriate lengths. They range from a digest length, which is often a couple of inches, to “extraordinary” narrative, investigative “magazine-type” stories which can run on to “60 to 80 inches or, rarely, more.” Stripped of its verbiage, such as “outstanding journalism comes in all sizes,” the memo from Downie and Managing Editor Philip Bennett brings the hammer down on writers. Shaking its finger, it says:  “Writers need to take responsibility for earning every inch of their stories.”

The memo then delves into structure, transitions, nut graph, and repetition.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about Downie’s memo. Many journalists scoffed when USA Today was first published with the goal of presenting news in shorter articles with more color graphics. In the past decades, most newspapers have followed its lead.

To be sure, the Post publishes many long stories that go down like Castor oil and few readers finish. But the paper also will publish powerful, passionate, and entertaining features, like Emily Wax’s piece today about young breast cancer survivors.

Feature writers have been expecting this. Style led the way with a directive on shorter stories late last year. Downie today just spread the rules across the newsroom and deputized editors to make it stick.

The full memo is below...

Mitt Romney was in Washington yesterday to raise money at the Mayflower Hotel, which led us to wonder who in town is supporting his nascent presidential campaign? He's got 23 congressmen listed on his invite, but there a lot of other powerful people rallying behind him. Here's a run-down of the power players on the fundraiser's Host Committee:

Jason Abend :: The executive director of the National Law Enforcement Recruiters Association and CEO of LawEnforcement.com.

Puneet Ahluwalia :: The CEO of Loans and Mortgages, LLC and treasurer of the Center for Multicultural Human Service.

Tomas Bilbao :: The executive director of the Cuban Study Group.

J.C. Boggs :: Partner at Blank Rome LLP and president of the Republican National Lawyers Association.

Brad Card :: Managing principal at the lobbying powerhouse Dutko Worldwide.

Roy Coffee :: Partner at Locke Liddell & Sapp.

Cesar Conda :: Principal at Navigators, a group of lobbyists, political strategists and public relations experts, and former adviser to Dick Cheney.

Vin Weber :: Managing partner of Clark & Weinstock's Washington office and served as the Bush-Cheney ’04 Plains States Regional Chairman.

Nate Gatten :: Former top banking aide to Utah Senator Bob Bennett and now a lobbyist for Fannie Mae.

Edward J. Gerety III :: Served as senior special advisor for the United States Interagency Council, has joined National Community Pharmacists Association as director of government relations.

Christopher Goode :: Now at Hyjek and Fix, he was director of administration for the 1995 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

Taylor Gross :: Former White House spokesman; co-founder and principal of The Herald Group, LLC.

Laurence Fisher :: Partner at Dickstein, Shapiro.

Gregg Hartley :: Vice chair and chief operating officer for Cassidy & Associates.

Chris Lamond :: Senior vice president, Ogilvy Government Relations.

Nels Olson :: A major player on the scene, long-time managing director at Korn/Ferry International, the world's largest executive search firm.

Rick Powell :: Managing director of the powerful political firm Quinn Gillespie. 

Sam Reid :: Consultant at Ninigret Partners.

Edward J. Shapiro :: Partner at the Washington office of Latham and Watkins.

Brett Shogren :: Former Tom Delay aide, now senior vice president of The Washington Group

Tim Stewart :: Partner at the lobbying firm Larson, Stewart, Myrick, and Link. A longtime Utah congressional staffer, Stewart served first as legislative director and later as chief of staff on the House Committee on Resources.

Andrew F. Wahlquist :: A partner at Alcalde & Fay, and former Chief of Staff to Virginia Senator John Warner.

Do you have an invite for a presidential campaign fundraiser? Email us: ggraff AT washingtonian DOT com.

What’s happened to Marion Barry?

The man we knew from his days as a civil-rights leader through four terms as mayor and now as a council member had one reliable trait: He was never on time for anything.

Community meetings would start and end before Barry strolled in.

Press conferences would have to be pushed back two hours to fit his schedule.

Audiences waiting to hear his State of the District speeches often would sweat and chat for an hour past the scheduled start before he sashayed through the doors.

Regulars would adjust their schedules and their expectations according what they called MB Time.

But who was the first member of the DC council to greet Mayor Adrian Fenty when he showed up Tuesday to testify in the final hearing on his school-takeover plan?

Marion Barry. Time was 12:35. The hearing was called for 12:30.

“Where are the rest of the council members?” a reporter asked Barry.

“The mayor doesn’t understand how things work up here,” Barry shot back. He knows, of course, that Fenty was a council member for six years before becoming mayor.

Fenty was no Barry today. He arrived in the hallway outside council chambers at 12:25, chatted up reporters and activists, walked into the chamber, and sat down on the first row promptly at 12:30.

Barry sauntered in. In an image that bridged decades of DC politics, the pol we once  called “Mayor for Life” kibitzed with the triathlete who now holds his old job.

The rest of the council members slowly assembled and took their chairs. Jack Evans was first; Phil Mendelson was last.

Chairman Vince Gray gaveled the meeting to order at about 12:55, 25 minutes late.

Perhaps everyone was so relaxed and so late because their votes on the Fenty takeover plan are well known: it is expected pass 9 to 2.

Barry will vote for Fenty’s proposal, and he might even be on time to do so.

Saudi Arabia predominantly Sunni or Shia? What about Iran? Iraq? Al Qaeda? Hezbollah?

If you have a hard time answering those questions, you’re in good company. (Though I took a few classes on Islam and terrorism in college, I had to look them up myself to refresh my memory.) According to Jeff Stein—an editor and investigative reporter for Congressional Quarterly—most of the people in charge of strategy, funding, and executing the war on terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond don’t know the answers, either.

What: The Leukemia Ball

Where: Washington Convention Center

When: Saturday night from 6:30 PM until about Midnight

Ticket Price: $1,000

Attire: Black-Tie Formal

Who: Washington's business community came out in full force for the gala's 20th anniversary, which raised $3.5 million for the National Capital Area Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Major sponsors included Northrop Grumman, American Airlines, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercedes-Benz, and Sprint Nextel. ABC Weatherman Tony Perkins emceed while legendary comic Bill Cosby performed stand-up and roots-rock band Hootie and The Blowfish played many of its 1990s hits.

The Scene: The entrance of the Convention Center was flanked with the evening's two raffle prizes—a Mercedes-Benz GL450 Sport Utility Vehicle and a Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Sedan.  Professional dancers waltzed alongside the cars as volunteers directed patrons up the escalator to the silent auction. Among the many silent auction items were a 14-day Mediterranean cruise valued at $20,396, a Lance Armstrong autographed road bike, tickets to the Super Bowl, a free LASIK procedure, and a "chance to be immortalized" by having your caricature mounted at The Palm Tysons Corner.

The Washington Redskins donated scores of autographed memorabilia—as the silent auction closed it looked like Joe Gibbs brought in more money than any of his players with $500 for an autographed football. Chris Cooley wasn't far behind, netting $450 for an autographed jersey. If the bids were a popularity contest, Sean Taylor would have come in last—a mini-helmet with his signature went for a mere $150.

Funniest Moment: About ten minutes into Bill Cosby's routine, an over-served guest loudly declared her love for the comic. Cosby sarcastically asked the woman if she had been drinking and told her date to bring duct tape with him next time.

Most Touching Moment: Leukemia survivors went from table to table thanking guests.  After the program and awards presentation, a five-year-old Leukemia patient was brought on stage and said, "Thank you for helping me get better" to the sold-out crowd of 2,500.

Food: A salad with green, yellow, and red tomatoes was followed by a surf-and-turf entree of steak and shrimp with mashed potatoes and carrots. Dessert was a too-rich-for-my-taste chocolate cake garnished with berries.

Gift Bag: A gift certificate to Oasis Winery, $250 towards a piece of custom jewelry at Adeler Jewelers, and a tub of jewelry cleaner.

Ratings:
Bold Face Guests: 3.5 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 4.5 (out of 5)
Food/Drinks: 3 (out of 5)
Overall Exclusivity: 4 (out of 5)

Total Score: 15 (out of 20)

More photos below. 

What: Washington Life's "The Young and the Guest List" party.

Where: Meridian House near Meridian Hill Park, followed by a late-night after-party at the swanky new Napoleon bar in Adams Morgan.

When: Thursday night, 8 p.m. to 11ish for the event, until 2:30 for the after-party.

Who: Hundreds of young Washington socialites, honored by being on the DC society bible of record's annual list of the top movers and shakers on the "scene." Attendees ranged from event planners and PR folks to young debuntants, White House aides, tech entrepreneurs, media darlings, as well as folks like society maven Juleanna Glover-Weiss, Phillippe Cousteau, and the usual host of local social chroniclers. It includes at least one Prince.

Scene: Meridian House—a venue where the space alone rents for upwards of $10,000—hosts numerous events each year, including its own ball and countless weddings, but it almost never looks as good as it did last night. In one room, a band got people moving, while in other candle- and stage-lit rooms bathed in light purple, party-goers in fancy cocktail attire thronged the bars, mingled, shouted over the DJs music, and took in each other's pleasurably intoxicated behavior. On the minds of many: How does Washington Life afford such an over-the-top gala? The event was a huge step up from last year's party at the Dumbarton House and easily established itself in the ranks of the city's fanciest events of the year.

Food: Mini-snacks like sandwiches, chili dogs, crab cake burgers, chocolate-dipped fruit, cakes, and cookies.

Drink of Choice: Plentiful shots of Patron silver tequila. Much of the rest of the alcohol situation seemed to be scattershot. The numerous bars suffered from lengthy lines and scant resources at times, leaving party-goers little choice but to do more shots.

Gift Bag: Impressive—perhaps, in fact, setting a new record for heft in a city not known for L.A.-like swag spoils. Lots of cosmetics (La Mer, AmorePacific, Clé de peau, Cibu), jewelry, Teaism tea, a checkerboard set from the Container Store, and a candle, as well as gift certificates to Agraria, Urbana, Lima, and Tourneau watches. And, of course, mini-bottles of Patron.

Ratings:
Bold Face Guests: 2.5 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 4 (out of 5)
Food/Drinks: 3 (out of 5)
Overall Exclusivity: 4 (out of 5)

Total Score: 13.5 (out of 20)

Below are more photos from the event. 

Without further ado, here are the top eight developments you need to know about what's happening on both sides of the presidential campaign:

1) The first television ad of the 2008 presidential race went on the air this week. The ad, by GOP media guru Alex Castellanos, was shot with hand-held video cameras during Mitt Romney’s announcement tour last week. It features a mix of photographs of Romney, a summary of his resume (“Business legend. Rescued the Olympics. The Republican governor who turned around a Democratic state.”), and shots from his stump speech—including a few notable conservative phrases. Sixty-second and 30-second versions of the ad, entitled “Unplugged,” aired in New Hampshire and Iowa this week and will go up in other key states next week.

2) A second interesting angle to the Romney television ad story: The headline on the Boston Globe article about the ad read, “Faltering in polls, Romney takes to the airwaves.” It’s a subtle point, but the Globe’s framing was unequivocally negative, while most news organizations characterized Romney’s taking to the airwaves so early as impressive, if odd. The Globe is arguably the toughest hometown paper for a presidential candidate—it made John Kerry’s life difficult for years leading up to his 2004 campaign, and it’s not showing any inclination to cut Romney any “favored son” slack, either.

3) Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both moved heavily into Hollywood this week, with Obama firing the opening salvo with an event Tuesday night that attracted huge support—and $1.3 million—in a key area known for its support for the Clintons. Among the bold-face names at the fundraiser hosted by Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks colleagues David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg: Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Oprah, and Oliver Stone were there. The participation of Spielberg, a longtime FOH and FOB (Friend of Hillary and Friend of Bill), did not go unnoticed, even though he has said he’s still on the fence. Helping his fundraising efforts, Obama won a major legal victory this week from the Federal Election Commission, which released a draft decision saying he could raise money as if he was opting out of public financing for the general election but then determine later whether he would opt back in.
 
4) The Hollywood fundraiser touched off another major development: the first public Hillary/Obama feud. Clinton’s campaign blasted Obama for critical comments made by David Geffen; Obama shot back that he didn’t see why he had to apologize for something someone else said, and besides, Geffen used to be a good friend of the Clinton’s. The only winner to emerge from the debacle? Former Virginia governor Mark Warner. Both Tom Vilsack and Bill Richardson hit Obama using Hillary’s talking points, which suggests that they think their best chance for a VP slot is with the former First Lady. If that pattern continues and Obama wins the nomination, then when he goes looking for a Democratic governor to balance his managerial inexperience, the Virginian’s going to look pretty good.